


Don't Fall

by spacemetaphor



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Ice Skating, M/M, but it's set at christmas, figure skating, so i'm counting it, there's not actually much christmas in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:01:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2855045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacemetaphor/pseuds/spacemetaphor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin Smith is a figure skating instructor volunteering at an awareness event. He meets a surprisingly familiar stranger that he can't quite seem to take his eyes off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Fall

**Author's Note:**

> A very quick Eruri Christmas fic! I hope you enjoy!

Erwin Smith leaned against the rail, watching ice skaters of various skill levels careen around the rink. As the evening wore on, the rink emptied out somewhat, until only twenty or so skaters remained. By that point, Erwin's job had gotten significantly easier. As one of the top ice skating instructors in the country, Erwin had enthusiastically volunteered when he heard the Ice Skating Institute was, for a few weeks, holding an awareness event to introduce students and other members of society to the sport of figure skating. The event would, in addition to hopefully increasing interest and donations, also raise money for breast cancer, leaving no decent reason for any professional individual involved with ice skating to refuse involvement.

At the beginning, he enthusiastically enjoyed helping fledgling skaters around the ring, watching as they slowly graduated from tightly gripping the railing to slowly making their way, unguided, around the ice. He had especially enjoyed the progress of a diminutive blonde boy, Armin. The child, small even for his age, had barely been able to move a few feet forward without sliding painfully to the ground when he had first stepped onto the ice. He was a nervous kid, Erwin saw, and one without a high level of coordination or physical skill. For several laps, he clutched desperately at the rail and Erwin by turns, listening closely to Erwin's gentle guidance. Finally, by the time his siblings and parents were ready to leave, Armin completed one smooth lap around the rink by himself. The thrill of that victory kept Erwin satisfied for several hours afterward. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching people learn and grow in confidence. Erwin had been at the rink all day, both instructing and spreading information about figure skating as a sport and a hobby. However, though he loved both his job and the interactions that came with it, after several hours of mixed elation and frustration, the work was beginning to wear on him. By early evening, he was content to rest quietly against the edge of the rink, waiting for the last stragglers to finish their journey over the ice. He sighed, watching the fog of his breath swirl in the air around him. The rink was covered, but that didn't prevent the chill of winter from seeping inside. Bundled as he was inside his warm wool coat, he hardly felt the cold, but he still wished somewhat that he could wander out for a moment to grab a mug of hot chocolate. Still, as long as the last few skaters remained, he might as well wait a bit longer. It was peaceful there, tired as he was. Christmas carols played in the background, and colored lights surrounded the rink. Seemingly every surface was decorated with wreaths and other classic Christmas decorations. Closing his eyes briefly, Erwin leaned his head back, listening to the rich notes of "I'll be home for Christmas." Erwin couldn't imagine ever having a day where the smooth ice underneath him wouldn't bring him comfort. 

His semblance of peace was shattered when a body smacked into the rail next to him, startling Erwin. The trainer, irritated but concerned, turned, searching for the invader who had interrupted his quiet respite. Somehow, the interloper had managed to not fall, stopping his descent with a death grip on the rail.  
It was odd, Erwin thought. He was almost certain he had spent at least some time working with all the children in the rink, but the figure next to him was unfamiliar. Judging by his height (the top of his head didn't quite reach to Erwin's shoulder) he was probably in his early teens. 

"Are you alright?" he inquired anxiously.

The boy looked up. Oh. Despite his small stature, the person next to him was definitely significantly older than Erwin had originally judged him to be. Though his face was smooth and unmarred, he couldn't have been younger than twenty. And, Erwin realized with a twinge of interest, he was surprisingly attractive. His silky black hair was striking against his pale skin, and the cold brought the faintest twinge of red to his cheeks and the tip of his nose. For some reason he also looked extraordinarily familiar.

"I'm fantastic," the man answered sarcastically, still leaning on the rail. "Who the fuck decided they needed to walk around on the ice wearing shitty knives on the bottoms of their shoes? Fucking brilliant."

Erwin couldn't help feeling taken aback, and honestly rather offended. Okay, then. 

"Ice skating actually has a very fascinating history," Erwin began stiffly. "It was believed to be invented in Finland, to help save energy during long hunting trips in harsh winter conditions. The first skates used-"

"Oh my god, shut up," interrupted the man, who Erwin was beginning to mentally refer to as Grumpy the Dwarf. "I'm sorry I said anything. If I wanted to know all that I'd check Wikipedia."

For the first time, Erwin felt a surge of dislike towards the fact that his principles dictated that he be polite and helpful to all new ice skaters. 

"I'll leave you alone then," he said. "Have fun," he added, a bit caustically, as an afterthought.

Grumpy paused for a moment.

"Wow, don't get your panties in a twist," he muttered. "I had no idea you felt so strongly about it."

"I'm a coach, for figure skating," Erwin informed him. "So I suppose it's my job to be passionate about it."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a few minutes where neither man moved.

"If my interest somehow came across as offensive," Erwin said finally. "You have my most sincere apologies."

"Fuck." The smaller man ran his hand briefly through his neat hair. "Let's start over. I'm Levi." 

He held out his gloved hand. Erwin shook it, hesitantly. It was as petite as the rest of him, with thin, delicate fingers. 

"Erwin Smith."

"Great to meet you, Erwin," Levi snorted. "Your parents must have been high when they named you, and you talk like you think you're an upper-class citizen in a Victorian Era period drama."

Erwin frowned.

"I thought we were starting over."

Levi rolled his eyes at him, patronizingly.

"We are, dumbass. How long have you been teaching for?"

Uncaring for the moment that he probably looked as ridiculous as this whole fiasco felt, Erwin blinked in confusion. The conversation was the exact opposite of his idea of starting over. Did Levi honestly think that was a good way to start afresh? It was hard for him to believe that someone could simply be that naturally ill-natured and rude. 

"For about twelve years," Erwin told him, determined to remain well-mannered, no matter what Levi said.

"Wow." Levi squinted up at him. "You must be even more ancient than you look."

"I'm thirty-six!" Erwin protested, affronted despite his best efforts. 

Levi shrugged.

"I'm twenty-nine, so I guess you're not quite museum material yet." He stopped, briefly biting his lower lip as if thinking. "Except maybe an art museum," he added.

The stunned look overtaking Erwin's face must have been quite amusing to any onlookers. Was that an attempt at flirting? If so, Levi had the worst pick-up tactics Erwin had ever seen. Despite that, though, he felt warmed. Some part of him, Erwin realized dazedly, must still be rather taken with Levi, in spite of his frankly insulting mannerism. He flushed, averting his gaze. Complete silence settled over the two of them.

"Okay," Levi said awkwardly. "It was nice meeting you, Erwin." He started to push off from the rail, eyeing the exit.

Suddenly wishing they had a bit more time, Erwin reached out, hand gripping Levi's thin shoulder. The younger man stopped, his impeccably groomed eyebrows pinching together in confusion.

"If you want to make another attempt at skating," Erwin began, feeling about as out of his depth as he ever had, "I find that it helps to not look down, and keep your weight forward."

Levi smiled, a brief flash of white teeth against pale pink lips. The corners of his mouth dimpled charmingly at the movement. 

"I'll try that, thanks."

He slid forward, his posture surprisingly good for an amateur. Almost instantly, however, he fell, toppling to the side in a surprisingly smooth motion. Pushing his hair quickly back from his face, Levi rolled tidily onto his hands and knees before pushing himself back to his feet.

"Fuck," he said, almost a statement instead of a exclamation. 

Erwin sighed deeply. 

"Here," he offered, gliding up to him. "I can try to help."

As if waiting for the offer, Levi grabbed Erwin's hands, his bony fingers fitting effortlessly between Erwin's larger ones. Simultaneously dazed and pleased by the audacity of the gesture, Erwin curled his hand around Levi's, before moving forward at a slow, steady pace. For the moment, Erwin thought, Levi seemed to be doing well, his warm fingers a constant pressure as he moved evenly beside Erwin. They lasted like that for almost an entire lap, before Levi pitched suddenly forward, barely managing to keep his balance by reaching across to grab Erwin's upper arm with his other hand. 

Resolutely trying not to respond to the feeling of Levi's tiny body pressed tightly to his side, Erwin smiled briefly at Levi.

"Don't worry, you're doing fine," he reassured him. "Your form is really good, actually."

Levi smiled at him again. His eyelashes were beautifully dark against his skin. They appeared to have a few small specks of ice caught in them, the white flakes tangled in dark silk. 

"You're not awful yourself," he said. 

The compliment was obviously ridiculous, coming from a beginner and addressed to a professional, but Erwin felt red staining his face nonetheless. 

"Let's try again." He stumbled through the words quickly to hide his embarrassment. 

Erwin lost track of how long they spent together, hand in hand around the rink, Levi occasionally needing to lean against Erwin to keep from toppling onto the hard ice. One time, and the memory almost made Erwin blush uncontrollably, Levi had collapsed right into Erwin, almost knocking the taller man over as well. They remained like that, Erwin supporting Levi as they pressed against each other, chest to chest, for what was probably an unnecessarily long time before Erwin finally sprung into motion to continue the impromptu skating lesson. It was with a twinge of regret that Erwin finally glanced at the clock. The rink would close soon, and all skaters would need to be off the ice in a matter of minutes. He glanced down at Levi, who had a strangely adorable expression of concentration on his face as he skated forward, side by side with Erwin.

"We'll have to leave soon," he told him hesitantly. "But you're doing extremely well, now. I think we have time for you to complete at least one lap on your own."

Levi looked up at him, mouth opening slightly in surprise.

"Already? Fuck."

"I'm sorry," Erwin replied, genuinely feeling sorry that the experience was coming to an end. It wouldn't feel complete if he couldn't see Levi make his way around the rink alone, showing the progress he had made, but there was no denying that Erwin would miss the feeling of Levi's hand in his.

"Fine," Levi grumbled, hesitantly removing his hand from Erwin's. Once their fingers were disentangled, though, he seemed to undergo a complete transformation. Any errors in his posture seemed to instantly fix themselves, and he carried himself with considerably more confidence. With a grace only mastered by years of hard training, Levi sped forward, effortlessly completing a circuit around the rink, finishing with a flawless single Axel before stopping next to Erwin.

The trainer stared, completely speechless.

"What the hell?" he finally managed, a rare swear word escaping in his shock.

Levi smirked at him.

"I was a competitive figure skater for fourteen years, until an ankle injury made me quit, dumbass."

"Then why.." Erwin stopped, completely at a loss. 

Levi shrugged. He looked away, briefly, his temporary bravado giving away to an air of confession. 

"You might have noticed that I'm not the best in social situations. Actually, fuck that, I'm completely shit at them. I was kind of hanging in the background, watching some of the new skaters that showed up for the event, and I couldn't stop looking at you. My 'sunny' personality makes approaching people a living hell, so I guess I just sort of decided to pretended that I had no fucking idea what I was doing. It seemed like you couldn't resist helping people out there, so..." he trailed uneasily off. "So I guess that's it," he finished, shrugging slightly.

He made his way towards the exit of the rink as he talked, slipping out the gate right as he ended. Erwin followed, feeling dazed. It wasn't until he found himself perched on a bench next to Levi that realization hit him.

"I watched you perform," Erwin managed finally. "That's why you looked so familiar. You won the Nationals four years ago!"

Levi busied himself removing his skates. 

"Yeah, then I fucked my ankle up two years later. It's stunning how quickly people forget about you once you go and make a shitty mistake like that." There was more than a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Erwin said.

Levi jerked one shoulder slightly as if to flick the words away.

"It's not your fault. I guess I should actually be the apologizing, actually, for wasting your time. I guess..." Levi placed his skates neatly to the side. "I guess I just wanted an excuse to hold your hand." The color on his face was definitely a blush, rose-red and beautiful.

"If you want," Erwin began slowly. "I could probably come up with a few more excuses."

The smile on Levi's face, however brief, was nothing short of radiant.

"I think I'd like that, Erwin. I'd like that a lot."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I know absolutely nothing about ice skating, except that it's near impossible to not look like Bambi, so I apologize for the likely numerous mistakes in this fic. I'm actually working on a longer omegaverse thing, but I just wanted to get something up here quickly before the holidays ended. Because of that, this was written in a hurry, so I apologize if the writing is weak. If you want to see more of me, you can find me at http://commandershit.tumblr.com/ where I run an Eruri blog. I started it fairly recently, and I'm hoping to reach 100 followers by the end of the day. I'm ten short, so if you want to head over there and take a look, I would love that! Also, I adore getting feedback, so if you don't mind taking a moment to leave a comment, I will be forever in your debt. Thank you for your time, and happy holidays!


End file.
